Paris apartment rental / Is 10 arr. so bad?
 

Going to Paris for the first time, 5 nights in July, with my boyfriend.
I'm checking on a few studio apartments, I like one at Boulevard Magenta, near Republique.
My concerns are the posts I've read about that area not being very good as a base in the city, and the fact that the studio is on a top floor, with no air/con. Is that suicide in July? I'm from Seville, Spain, so I think I can take it, and presumably we won't be in the apartment much at all.

Can you experts give me your opinion?

The area around Republique isn't that bad -- in fact you would be near the Canal St Martin which is one of my favorite places in Paris, especially in summer. Five different metro lines converge at Republique, so you can get from there to just about anywhere in Paris without changing trains.

As for the top-floor apartment, unless there is a heat wave (highly unpredictable in Paris), you should be fine. It will certainly not be as hot as Seville.

That street is okay, as long as you aren't expecting something glamorous or an expensive chic neighborhood, you shouldn't have any problems.

You never know about the weather, of course, and weather it will be moderate or some unusual heat wave during that time. If you are from Seville and don't have AC there, then I am sure you can take it. You know northern Europe isn't as hot as Spain in the summer, so it can't be worse.

Thank you, Mlafitte and Christina!
Sounds great.

Actually, us andalusians are becoming wimpier every year and can't live without our A/C in july and august anymore. But I think we'll be ok, if worse comes to worst, we'll buy a fan.

Good advice above on the location. As for a possible heat wave, ask whether there's an electric fan in the studio. Paris apartment buildings most often have metal roofs. A fan could save you. In the worst case, you could buy one yourselves at a "cheap stuff" shop.

The 10th arrondissement is delightful, but it is somewhat overrun by German and Scandinavian tourists. Apart from the tourists, it is an excellent working class neighborhood with some very interesting immigrant communities -- fabulous Turkish, Pakistani and Indian restaurants along the Faubourg Saint Denis, Passage Brady and the surrounding area. The "main drag" of the 10th -- boulevard de Strasbourg -- is the hairdresser supply center to France, but also has about 50 salons devoted to African and West Indian hairbraiding and other similar torture.